Qatari LNG Tanker Breaks Strait of Hormuz Blockage

A Qatari liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker has successfully passed through the Strait of Hormuz for the first time since July, breaking a blockage caused by renewed military exchanges between the US and Iran.

The Al Marrouna LNG carrier, which loaded its cargo in Qatar early last month, crossed the strait and exited the Persian Gulf on Tuesday morning. It is expected to arrive at Pakistan's Port Qasim around Thursday.

This development comes after several empty Qatari LNG tankers were spotted returning to the Persian Gulf in recent weeks, indicating that Qatar appears to be resuming LNG exports through the strait, which it had suspended after one of its tankers came under attack in late July.

Qatar has accounted for a fifth of global LNG exports, but its shipments through the Strait of Hormuz plummeted after the Iran war closed off the waterway in February. Tensions eased and the supply chain appeared to be recovering in June after the US and Iran signed an MOU on an end of war. However, those hopes receded when the two countries' military exchanges intensified again in July.